Lesson 501 – Coming Out To Yourself

Michael Migura sets the stage for understanding homophobia and the feelings one experiences daily in today’s world.

Section 1 – Sexual Minorities in a Straight World – Have you ever felt you just did not fit in? Maybe you are not the only one.

Are there symptoms of homophobia you have experienced similar to those in Michael’s talk? Does the “Invisible Minority” concept help you understand? “Internalized Homophobia” can be extremely detrimental. Is “Heterosexism” the norm in your thoughts?

Section 2 – Stages of Coming Out

There are six stages in the coming out process according to Mr. Migura.
1. Awareness
2. Acknowledgement
3. Tolerance
4. Acceptance
5. Pride
6. Synthesis.
Listen as he describes each stage. Do you see other stages?

Where are you on Michael’s Stages?

Section 3 – Barriers to Coming Out

Michael then discusses some barriers to coming out. Among these considerations are geography, job choice, workplace, religion (being spiritually bankrupt), society, school, public places, etc. You may have many more you can add after listening to the video.

Section 4 – Cost Benefit Analysis

When you view the Cost Benefit Analysis segment, whether you are GLBTQ+, parent, sibling or… , does this segment give you a framework to understand your own actions? Take a look!

Now that you have found out some of Michael’s barriers, can you list some of your barriers to coming out? How do you overcome these barriers?